Singer Joseph Mayanja, alias Jose Chameleone (L) and Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze (R). FILE PHOTO
The definition of a chameleon is a lizard that can change colours to match its surroundings or a person who changes their personality depending on who they are with. A lizard that changes its colours regularly is an example of a chameleon.
This is exactly how Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze sees artist Joseph Mayanja, alias Jose Chameleone who recently joined the Democratic Party (DP) after declaring his intention to contest for Kampala mayoral seat.
Nambooze has asked Chameleone, to prove that he will not be “a chameleon” in the Democratic Party (DP).
Ms Nambooze, one of the senior DP leaders, also questioned the manner in which the Tubonga Nawe singer, who says he now wants to replace Mr Erias Lukwago as Kampala Lord Mayor, was admitted into the DP.
“Chameleone joining DP should not excite anyone because at one time he announced that he had joined Islam but eventually came back to the Catholic Church. But the onus is on him to prove that the chameleone thing ends with his music,” Ms Nambooze said.
She added: “Becoming a [DP] member, you go through a branch, a certain village and get to join the party from that village and then the National Executive Committee is notified about a new member.”
She explained that the illegalities surrounding Chameleone’s DP membership were heightened when the 2016 Museveni campaigner was declared DP national mobiliser by the party president general, Mr Norbert Mao. DP unveiled Chameleone at Nsambya Sharing Hall on Wednesday.
“Chameleone has a lot of steps to take before assuming the positions I hear he was appointed to. A person shall qualify if that person has been an active member for at least 10 years or two years (depending on the nature of post),” Ms Nambooze said.
But Chameleone dismissed Ms Nambooze’s claims as “hogwash and brainwashing propaganda with no impact”. He said Ms Nambooze is just jealous of his achievement.
Chameleone wondered why “Ms Nambooze thinks she can drive the opinion of the masses”, before he warned: “She will not do that on me. I don’t know why whenever new political players emerge, Nambooze becomes uneasy. She has never enthusiastically embraced fresh political players in the Opposition as you witnessed it with Bobi Wine [Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi], whom she had turned into a punching bag. She is indeed so feeble-minded and subnormal.”
Yesterday, Mr Mao said chapter two of the DP constitution allows any Ugandan who accepts the aims, policies and discipline of the party to enrol into the party.
“Application for membership shall be through authorised officials and in enrollment, a member shall be supplied with a membership card. This is what happened with Chameleone, no illegality,” Mr Mao said.
